Study of 26,000 White Dwarfs Confirms Temperature-Mass Relationship

Astronomers validate a long-predicted effect, advancing research on stellar physics and dark matter exploration.

Researchers analyzed over 26,000 white dwarf stars to confirm that hotter white dwarfs are slightly larger than cooler ones of the same mass.
The findings help refine understanding of stellar structures and provide a foundation for probing extreme gravity and dark matter phenomena.
The study utilized data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, which map and track millions of cosmic objects.
This builds on a 2020 study that confirmed shrinking of white dwarfs with increasing mass due to quantum mechanical effects known as electron degeneracy pressure.
Future research aims to explore subtle differences in white dwarf core compositions and their potential to reveal dark matter characteristics.